Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Dalia
Ipull Seraphina to a stop and dismount beside my sisters, rubbing her neck as the stable hand rushes out to take the horses from us.
“Thanks, Tanya.” I offer the teen a quick smile as she gathers all three leads and heads toward the stables.
We’ve added them all over the island since it’s our primary mode of transportation. Since we’re on an island, there’s only so far the horses can go, but it’s a pain in the ass trying to hunt down your horse after they wander off—hence the stables.
Not that I ever have to worry about Seraphina. She never wanders off.
Neither do my sisters’ horses.
We have a stable at the cottage, but we never lock the horses in there. They roam around the area when they’re at home, returning to the stables for meals and to sleep.
They seem to sense any time we need them, because they’re always there waiting.
They’re not normal horses, but I don’t know exactly what makes them special.
They were clearly meant to be ours as they all appeared to us at once and won’t allow anyone else to ride them.
I’m not sure how we got so lucky, but I can’t say I mind all that much.
Morrigan stalks up the stairs, completely ignoring me, and I let out a sigh.
“Don’t take it too personally,” Phoebe says, her smile firmly in place as she loops her arm through mine. “You know she hates it when we keep things from her.”
“I know, but I have my reasons for not telling you.”
She nods. “Of course you do, and we’re allowed our secrets. But you know you’re going to have to tell us.”
“But do I really?” I ask, with a hint of a whine in my voice that causes her to laugh.
“Yes, really, and you know it. Come on, let’s see if everyone has arrived yet.”
I allow her to lead me up the steps, and when we walk into the town hall, we find the foyer empty. The building is really a house, but we converted it to meet our needs. It’s an older building that really stood the test of time.
With so much of the island being destroyed by the war, finding this one house close to the center seemed like a sign. It’s where we stayed when we first came to the island, along with the first settlers—Jaeden among them.
To the right is a public area that used to be the living room and kitchen area. The kitchen is still there, along with a waiting area filled with chairs made by our very own citizens.
On the left, there are four boardrooms for meetings with the town members. Straight back past the stairs are two public restrooms.
We head up the stairs, nodding to Legos, one of the guards who works here. We rarely have to use the building, but we keep a guard there at all times just in case. We don’t keep sensitive information here, but we also don’t want to deal with any vandalism.
Sure, the citizens of Iero are good people, and our city only works because we all pitch in. But that doesn’t mean teenagers don’t get bored and cause havoc.
It’s just better to be safe than sorry.
We converted the upper level of the building into offices for each of the council members, and a large council room we use for meetings like this one.
We meet once a month to go over how everything in the city is running or if there is a newcomer who wishes to join our community, but I don’t think we’ve had to call an emergency meeting like this since the founding of Iero.
I’m sure it’s putting the other councillors on edge, much like me.
The door to the council room is right across from the stairs, with the door open. I can hear murmurs spilling from the room, so we head inside.
So far, it’s just Morrigan, Jaeden, and the riders. I’m sure Jaeden has contacted the other council members, but it takes time for everyone to get here.
Horses are much faster than walking, but they’re still not as fast as vehicles.
Jaeden’s head snaps, and he shoots a tense smile at us. “The other council members should arrive soon. They were all notified about fifteen minutes ago.”
“Thank you, Jaeden.” Pulling away from my sister, I walk over to the riders. “Do you need anything?”
Steel shakes his head. “We’re good. We do want to make sure everyone is aware that no one can touch us. Our touch sucks the life from the living.”
Oh.
Why does my stomach drop at that announcement?
Pushing away my uneasiness, I hesitate before nodding toward the helmets they still wear. “You can take those off if it’s more comfortable for you.”
“It tends to freak people out if we walk around with no heads,” Blaze says with a chuckle.
“I can’t guarantee that people won’t freak out, but they’ll get over it.
I can assure you, it won’t be the weirdest thing we’ve seen.
” I snort as a memory comes to me. “One of the council members is a frost giant. One time, he got completely smashed on Siren’s Call—that’s a local alcohol made by another of our council members.
He shifted to his frost giant, got naked, and then walked around the entire island for like an hour. ”
Blaze snickers. “Was his dick at least proportionate?”
Titan elbows him, hissing, “Blaze.”
“What? Do you think she’s never heard the word dick before? I bet she’s even seen at least one in her lifetime—probably more.”
My cheeks flush. “Yes, it was proportionate. Yes, I’ve heard the word dick before, and I’ve seen plenty of them. I’m not easily offended. But thanks anyway, Titan.”
I wish I could see his face. I think he’s staring at me, but I have no proof of that.
“If you’re sure,” Steel begins, reaching up to pull off his helmet.
Titan and Blaze quickly follow suit.
They have no heads.
I don’t know why I feel so disappointed by that, but I bite the inside of my cheek to make sure I keep a straight face.
“You’re right. It’s a little weird, but at least your dick isn’t almost as tall as me.”
“What the hell, Dalia?” I spin around to find Frost stepping into the room, clearly annoyed as he glances between me and the riders. “I thought we weren’t going to talk about that anymore.”
I shrug, grinning as he runs a hand through his white hair that falls over his shoulders and halfway down his back. I knew Frost before the war and remember a time when he used to use a glamour to cover up his pale blue skin and black eyes.
Now, there’s no reason to hide it.
I might not agree with the war or how both sides handled everything, but I love that supernaturals no longer have to hide who and what they are.
I’m lucky enough to pass for human—hell, in the last hundred or so years, I might as well be a human since my sisters and I can no longer touch the strings of fate.
“I was just letting Blaze, Steel, and Titan know that their headless status wouldn’t be the weirdest thing we’ve seen in Iero.” I shrug. “I also didn’t expect you to walk in while we were talking about it.”
Frost’s eyes narrow on the riders. “They’re the reason for the meeting?”
“They are, but no, I’m not telling you anything else until everyone else arrives.”
“Fine, but please stop telling people that story, for the love of the gods.”
When he doesn’t immediately take a seat, I realize he’s waiting for me to agree to his statement.
“I make no promises,” I tell him. “But only if it’s cases like this.”
He looks like he wants to argue, but just shakes his head and drops into his seat.
“So that’s the frost giant?” Blaze asks with a teasing hint in his voice.
“Shit. I should’ve introduced you. I’m sorry. It’ll probably just be easier to do it all at once.” I gesture toward the front of the room. “Let’s get you settled while we wait for everyone else to arrive.”